


Dane and the Werewolf; A Play in Two Acts

by lewis_read_this



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Modern Era, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 22:17:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7407304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lewis_read_this/pseuds/lewis_read_this
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A very short "script" of the opening scene of Dane and the Werewolf. I admit this is a bit of a cheat, since most of the "dialogue" comes from <a href="http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Codex_entry:_Dane_and_the_Werewolf">this codex entry.</a> But it was fun to imagine it played on a real stage, with modern technology. I imagine it blackbox.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dane and the Werewolf; A Play in Two Acts

[Lights come up on a simple forest scene. A small raked platform. Trees. An intimate feel. Backdrop is light mottled green. A projector behind platform.]

[NARRATOR steps on stage. He takes his time move CS. He carries a guitar, and picks out a complicated series of notes before settling into a simpler melody.]

 

NARRATOR

Let me sing of heroes and honor lost and found,

Of monsters and men in all forms,

Of Dane, hunter without peer,

Feared by the forests of Ferelden,

Who one autumn morn spied

A hart of pure white in beam of warmest sun,

A prize for huntsman's spear.

 

[NARRATOR moves DSL. Forest sounds begin to play. The image of a white hart is projected on the backdrop. Enter DANE, creeping, spear in hand. He is tired; they have been running a long time.]

 

NARRATOR

Through the greenwood they ran, hart and hunter

Bringing the stag to spear at last in a long-forgotten grove,

Heedless that the chase had waked a hunger in the golden wood,

A werewolf, a creature with mind of man,

Lured by the hunt and come forth to lay claim

To the hart as rightful tribute

Drawn by the scent of cooling blood.

 

[Projected hart begins to run and disappears. DANE lunged to his feet, leaning forward and throwing his speak off stage left. He races after it, and lets out an exhalted cheer.]

[WEREWOLVES enter SR. They move grotesquely, sniffing the air, half standing and half crouched. The leader is red, the others greys and blacks. The leader raises up on his hind feet, holding up a clawed hand. The others fall silent, though they are restless.]

 

WEREWOLF

Listen, brothers and sisters.

The quarry’s heart beats no more.

Smell, children.

Its blood is spilled and drying,

And the hunter’s sweat is cooling.

We wait.

 

[One of the WEREWOLVES rears back and howls. WEREWOLF spins and lunges, striking it. The other WEREWOLVES swarm, scratching and biting at the misbehaver. The WEREWOLF snorts and waves his hand. They leave the punished one, who crawls off stage right, whimpering.]

[Enter DANE, SL, dragging a heavy bag, hart’s blood staining it. He freezes, sensing something, and slowly lowers the bag. Removing his spear from his back, he ventures farther, and finds himself face-to-face with the WEREWOLVES. He is horrified, sickened, but makes no sound or move to leave. The WEREWOLF grins.]

 

WEREWOLF

And here, you see,

Our true prey. The

Masterful hunter. The

Killer of the Hart of the forest.

[WEREWOLVES begins to yip and howl. DANE lifts his spear, panic on his face. The WEREWOLF raises his hand again and his pack falls silent, still.]

 

NARRATOR

In the silence the two hunters held.

Dane, spear-armed against the wolf with all his brood,

Knew with sinking heart he was lost

Steeled for the winding roads of the Fade

Then the beast spoke, human-like in voice.

 

WEREWOLF [stepping closer]

You have taken this stag from my woods,

and my pack.

A well-earned kill, a beautiful hunt.

But nothing comes without a cost.

 

NARRATOR

The wolf pack circled, ever closer, and he

Who felled boars and bears with his bright blade

Knew fear. They spoke his name in roars

Like gravestones, offering a beast's bargain.

 

[WEREWOLVES begin to swarm DANE, some lunging and nipping at him. He is pushed forward, closer to the WEREWOLF, who waits, chest heaving as he sniffs the air.]

 

WEREWOLVES, _as one, repeated_

Die here, huntsman

 

WEREWOLF, _louder_

Die here, huntsman,

Alone and forgotten,

or take my place amongst the wolves

As I take your place amongst man.

 

[The WEREWOLVES howl, racing to their leader, crawling on hands and knees, begging him in dogs’ tones. With a snarl, he kicks them aside, and approaches DANE with one hand outstretched. With his opposite hand, he slashes his palm, and blood runs out.]

[DANE hesitates, eyeing the pack. He knows he cannot kill them all. With trembling limbs, he cuts his hand on his spearhead. Closing his eyes, he takes the WEREWOLF’s paw. Blackout, except for a small spot on NARRATOR]

 

NARRATOR

Thus was a bargain struck,

And Dane the wolf pack served in wolfen form,

And the werewolf to his family sped, as Dane,

One year and a day all told.

But some things cannot be repent,

Some coinage cannot be unspent,

When hearts are wagered, a fissure rent.

[A wolf howls in the darkness as the NARRATOR’s spot dims out. End scene.]


End file.
